Antifouling anchor



Aug. 12, 1952 c. F. CHRISTIE 2,606,518

ANTIFOULING ANCHOR 7 Filed March 27, 1950 2 swarms-awn 1 Cleve F.Christ/e m 'EN TOR.

Aug. 12, 19 52 c. F. CHRISTIE 2,606,518

ANTIFOULING ANCHOR Filed March 27, 195o 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Cleve F.Christ/b INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 12, 1952 2,606,518; ANTIFOULING ANCHOR Cleve: F. Christie,Knoxville, Tenn, assignor of ten. per cent. to. Dove A.. Harrison;Knoxville,

Tenn.

' 7 ApplicationMarch 27, 195,0, SerialNo.152)Q99 The present inventionrelates to new and useful improvements in anchors and more particularlyto means for releasing the anchor when engagecl with submerged objectsto prevent fouling of the anchor.

An important object of the invention is to provide means for releasingthe flukes of the anchor,

when fouled with a submerged; object, by a twisting movementof theanchorrope.

Another object is to provide an interchangeable; anchor releasing devicewhich may be used with various types of anchors; such as a foldinganchor or a rigid, non-folding anchor.

A further object is to providev an anti-fouling anchor of simple andpractical construction, which is efficient and reliable in operation,relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise Well adapted for thepurposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the invention used with a foldinganchor;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on a line 22of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the fiukes of theanchor released;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the retrieving rods; and,

Figure 5 is a perspective View showing the invention used with a rigid,non-folding anchor.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose ofillustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention,the numeral 5 designates an anchor shank to one end of which an anchorlifting and lowering cable or chain 6 is attached by means of a ring I.

The other end of shank 5 is formed with a threaded head 8 connected toan internally threaded socket 9. A semi-spherical body is formed at thecenter of its rounded surface with a square stem ll having a reducedthreaded stud l2 threaded in the base of socket 9 and locked therein bya cotter pin l3. The flat surface of body In is formed withan eye l4.

A pair of wire or other suitable metal rods I are formed at each endwith loops l5 and I1, loops 16 of the rods being swivelly secured to theopposite ends of a connector plate [8 having a central opening IQ forslidably mounting the connector on shank 5 with said rods l5 at oppositesides of said shank 5. Y 7 r 2. Claims. (01. 114 2cs').

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, asubstantially'U-shaped anchor head is utilized as shown generally at 20and which comprises-a pair of flukes 2f rigidly connected to each otherby-a cross bar-22 having a substantially semi-spherical socket or recessat its center to separate cross bar 22 into a pair of aligned fluke arms24 and 25, the socket being designated 25'.

Semi-spherical body In is swivellypositioned in socket 23 with stem llswingable' in a slot 26 in the bottom of the socket transverse to saidbar 22 to permit arms 24,, 25 to rotate about an axis transverse to theshank 5 and the fiukes 2| to swing about said axis from one side ofshank 5 to the other, or to swing into a folded position parallel toshank 5, the swinging movement of the flukes being limited by stops 2'!at the ends of slot 26 and with which stem ll engages when said flukes2| are swung from one side of said shank 5 to the other side thereof.Rods I5 are connected to arms 24 and 25, in other words, the cross bar22 by the loops H in which said arms 24, 25, comprising the bar 22, arerotatable.

In the operation of the device, the flukes 2| swing downwardly belowshank 5 when the anchor is lowered and anchor cable 6 holds the shank inan upwardly inclined position against one of the stops 2! to cause the,fiukes to dig into the bottom of the river or other body of water.

Should the flukes become fouled with a rock or other submerged objectwhich prevents raising of the anchor, the anchor cable is then twistedin a direction to unscrew head 8 of shank 5 from socket 9 to releaseanchor head 20 from shank 5, as shown in Figure 3, and connector platel8 slides downwardly on shank 5 until it strikes head 8 and rods [5 thenform a second lifting connecting means between shank 5 and anchor head20 for freeing the fouled anchor. Cross bar 22 is rotatable in the loopsll so that flukes 21 may swing as previously described or into aposition in longitudinal alignment with fiukes 2| to subject the fiukesto a straight rearward pull to free the anchor. As will be clear thehead 8, socket 9, body [0, socket 25 and stem H form a threadedlyconnected coupling between the cross bar 22 and shank 5 uncoupled bytwisting the cable 6.

The anti-fouling device may also be used with a rigid, non-folding typeof anchor shown at 28 in Figure 5, by attaching eye I4 to the upper endof the rigid stem 29 of the anchor by a ring 30 whereby to form a swivelconnection and attaching the loops ll of rods [5 to the fluke arms 3| orcross bar of the anchor. The shank 5 is released by twisting the anchorcable in the same manner as heretofore described and the fluke arms 3|or cross bar rotated in the loops ll of rods I5 50 that the flukes mayswing from sideto-side of the shank 5 and also swing so that the rods l5may exert a direct pull against the same when the stem 2| is uncoupledfrom the shank 5.

In view" of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of thedevice will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A moredetailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shownand described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed asnewis: .1-' Y lAnLanchOr comprising'a pair of flukes, a cross bar connecting saidfiukes, an anchor shank, an anchor ,lifting andlowering cable attachedto one end of the shank,- threadedly connected coupling; devices betweensaid cross bar and the otherzend' of the shank uncoupled by twistingsaid cable to rotate the shank whereby to uncouple said shank from saidbar when'the flukes become fouled, means connecting said bar to one ofsaid devices for rotation relative to the coupling devices when coupledto provide for swinging of said flukes in opposite directions about anaxistransverse to said shank, and a second lifting means connecting saidbar to said shank for lifting said bar and fiukes through lifting ofsaid shank by said cable after uncoupling of said shank from said barcomprising a centrally apertured plate through which said shank extendsand having limited lateral sliding movement on said shank, and a pair ofrods upon opposite sides of said shank having corresponding endsswivelly connected to said plate and loops on the other ends thereof inwhich said bar is rotatable for swinging f said flukes.

2. An anchor according to claim 1, wherein said first-named meanscomprises a swivel providing for limited rotation of said bar andlimited swinging of said flukes from one side of the shank to the otherside thereof with said bar rotating in said loops, said swivel includinga socket in said bar slotted transversely of the bar, and a ball memberrotatable in said socket and having a stem swingable in said slot.

CLEVE F. CHRISTIE.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 'Date 89,232 Morgan Apr. 20, 1869242,958 Moule June 14, 1881 363,579 Best May 24, 1887 2,012,751 Buch etal. Aug. 27, 1935 2,377,054 Thayer May 29, 1945 2,415,605 Newby Feb. 11,1947

